The Progress of Love

Alice Munro, who received the National Book Critics Circle Award for her latest collection of stories, The Love of a Good Woman, is widely acknowledged as a modern master of the short story. In this earlier collection, she demonstrates all of those strengths that have won her so many literary accolades.

A divorced woman returns toWINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE® IN LITERATURE 2013

Alice Munro, who received the National Book Critics Circle Award for her latest collection of stories, The Love of a Good Woman, is widely acknowledged as a modern master of the short story. In this earlier collection, she demonstrates all of those strengths that have won her so many literary accolades.

A divorced woman returns to her childhood home where she confronts the memory of her parents' confounding yet deep bond. The accidental near-drowning of a child exposes the fragility of the trust between children and parents. A young man, remembering a terrifying childhood incident, wrestles with the responsibility he has always felt for his younger brother. In these and other stories Alice Munro proves once again a sensitive and compassionate chronicler of our times. Drawing us into the most intimate corners of ordinary lives, she reveals much about ourselves, our choices, and our experiences of love.

I’m an observer by nature. I guess you can say I like to watch. Birds. Bugs. Animals. Humans. The weather. I can sit in front of my bay window for hours watching a spider spin a web, a thunderstorm rolling in, a swarm of bees sipping nectar from my rhododendrons…

Alice Munro must be an observer by nature too, because her stories reveal her fascination with everyday life and everyday people. This particular collection focuses on relaCome with me, my love...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbMeAO...

I’m an observer by nature. I guess you can say I like to watch. Birds. Bugs. Animals. Humans. The weather. I can sit in front of my bay window for hours watching a spider spin a web, a thunderstorm rolling in, a swarm of bees sipping nectar from my rhododendrons…

Alice Munro must be an observer by nature too, because her stories reveal her fascination with everyday life and everyday people. This particular collection focuses on relationships: between couples, siblings, parents and children -- always in someway or other following the progress of love.

In my opinion, Alice Munro is the queen of short story writers. I think this can be attributed to her economy of language. Whereas many novelists need to use an excessive amount of words to get their point across, Munro can tell a compelling and engaging tale with concision.

My hat is off to the master for delivering another phenomenal collection of stories.

What is it with female Canadian writers? I normally think twice before picking up any book by a female writer. This is not a sexist remark but most of them I tried hard to like them but they fell short of my expectations. Virginia Woolf will always be my favorite along with Dame Iris Murdoch. Then, I also enjoyed Surfacing by Margaret Atwood and Unless by Carol Shields. They are the first two female Canadian writers who both joineMy first book by Alice Munro (born 1931) and oh my, she kicks ass!

What is it with female Canadian writers? I normally think twice before picking up any book by a female writer. This is not a sexist remark but most of them I tried hard to like them but they fell short of my expectations. Virginia Woolf will always be my favorite along with Dame Iris Murdoch. Then, I also enjoyed Surfacing by Margaret Atwood and Unless by Carol Shields. They are the first two female Canadian writers who both joined my list of favorite female authors alongside Woolf and Murdoch. Now it is 3 vs 2 in favor of the Canadians.

I also remember that I have not read any book by a Canadian male writers. Do female writers, unlike in all parts of the world, dominate in the literary scene there? Now I remember a friend recommending Timothy Findley's works. Maybe soon.

I checked Wiki and it says this for Munro: is a Canadian short-story writer, winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work, three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction, and a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize. So, Munro is really a serious writer and I used to ignore her works in our bookstores here in the Manila.

So far, I've read 3 short-stories collections: Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami; Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro and What We Talk About, When We Talk About Love by Raymond Chandler. This book The Progress of Love by Alice Munro is on its own league.

It is definitely not stories as "slices" of one's life. Most of her stories have plots that can stand as separate full-length interesting novels. They are not rushed up because Munro delicately takes time to tell her stories using her words carefully and sensitively. Her stories are like well-captured photographs in an art studio. Sharp pixels. Suited lighting as the artist took them at exact time of the day. I am not talking about mountains, sunset and bay. Munro's stories are about human beings: their relationships, dreams, fears and questions. The stories in this book, The Progress of Love deal with common and uncommon people dealing issues in their present lives by looking back to their past. I think that this explains why progress is in the title. Although I am giving this a star less from amazing because out of the 11 stories only one mentioned the word love. I am not sure if this was intentional of Munro. I thought that this book can be a good pre-Valentine read *chuckle*. To compare, what I know of Murakami is that he writes and writes short stories and lump them into a book without any thought on the title of the collection and select one of the titles to also be the title of the whole collection. The first story of this book has that title but it is far from my favorite which is the one towards the end, A Queer Streak. Also, reading Munro is not as easy as the works of the other 3 gentlemen. Because each of the 11 short stories are very interesting, I slowed down and took time 11 times to adjust to the story, i.e., know the characters and setting as they are introduced at the start. I mean, when I finally closed the book, I thought I spent almost the same time I would have spent reading 5 or so short novels.

But it was worth my time really. They are not about those Murakami dream sequences that can just be meaningless (if you really think about most of them). Munro's stories are more of our lives being put on the operating table: dissected, examined and evaluated. Munro does not provide the answers but she does ask the right questions for us to re-evaluate our lives, where we are heading to....more

K.D. AbsolutelyI will borrow your book and see which one I like better! Last year I read "The Inimitable Mr. Jeeves" and I gave it 5 stars so I guess, maybe GR couldI will borrow your book and see which one I like better! Last year I read "The Inimitable Mr. Jeeves" and I gave it 5 stars so I guess, maybe GR could be right on this. But let's see. Why not borrow Munro and do a comparison too?...more
Feb 15, 2011 02:31PM

Joselito Honestly and Brilliantlymaybe. But il read the munro i have with me first. But what does it matter what our assessment is? Do you know of any other book here at gr which wasmaybe. But il read the munro i have with me first. But what does it matter what our assessment is? Do you know of any other book here at gr which was read and rated by almost 500 readers and still got 4.50? that could only mean that despite so many readers, it was getting nothing but 4's and 5's. Mostly 5's becasue the average score is closer to 5 than 4....more
Feb 16, 2011 04:27AM

I sometimes like to think of Alice Munro as a painter. In drawing her just so, I can consider that she must furnish the place she has made for her daily hours of work with these finely delineated and peculiarly detailed portraits of people who have never existed whole, but whom we have all met in part: people whose clothes and expressions we have worn, whose lives we have lived in, and into whose poses our own movement pours content.

Still, portraits are not her characteristic medium. Other thanI sometimes like to think of Alice Munro as a painter. In drawing her just so, I can consider that she must furnish the place she has made for her daily hours of work with these finely delineated and peculiarly detailed portraits of people who have never existed whole, but whom we have all met in part: people whose clothes and expressions we have worn, whose lives we have lived in, and into whose poses our own movement pours content.

Still, portraits are not her characteristic medium. Other than these, and in this proceeding form her sense is particularly keen, she represents scenes of place and person blended in life's activity and broadly. Lives are given shape in the heavy shadow of stilled dilemma and clarified in her finer brush strokes, but her images carry a sense of continuing on after their resolution. The stories told by her best works go on when we have ceased looking and on into fresh territories and a body of new choices. By these, her subjects are no more resolved in their lives than are we in our own....more

Of the three collections I've read by Munro, I'd say this is arguably the weakest (the other two being Runaway and Open Secrets), but by any other standard, these are still utterly breathtaking stories. I suppose my two critiques would be that (a) this feels like cohesive as a collection in that each story seems only tangentially to tie back to a grander thematic thread; and (b) that there are two or three somewhat unmemorable stories. "Eskimo" and "Circle of Prayer" come to mind. Or rather, donOf the three collections I've read by Munro, I'd say this is arguably the weakest (the other two being Runaway and Open Secrets), but by any other standard, these are still utterly breathtaking stories. I suppose my two critiques would be that (a) this feels like cohesive as a collection in that each story seems only tangentially to tie back to a grander thematic thread; and (b) that there are two or three somewhat unmemorable stories. "Eskimo" and "Circle of Prayer" come to mind. Or rather, don't, and I had to look at the table of contents to recall their titles.

On the other hand, stories like "The Progress of Love," "Fits," "Jesse and Meribeth" and "A Queer Streak" are among the best short pieces of fiction I've read/heard all year, the first one being my personal favorite. Munro has a peculiar way of taking the positively mundane and awarding it a sense of breathtaking profundity, emotional weight, tragedy - meanwhile, those things which are tragic, particularly death here, often happen offstage but seem nevertheless terribly inevitable. Perhaps that's what I'm really trying to get at: the inevitability of life's events, whether they be tedious or irrecoverably wrenching, itself takes on a kind of epic quality. Nothing surprises - and everything surprises. You see I'm at a loss for how to describe this; that, I suppose, is why Munro is the master in this case.

If I were smart, I'd run out and buy every other collection Munro's written and spend the rest of the summer devouring them. I may just do that....more

A reviewer remarked that it took more time to read these short stories than it did generally to read a novel. I can understand this statement because the stories are quite compact, really a very delightful trait, and do require some attention to the details to fully enter into the narrative. I deeply admire the choices of names and places that immediately made me believe the setting of the stories. The use of timelines is excellently manipulated yet graceful. The stories are of love; of simply wA reviewer remarked that it took more time to read these short stories than it did generally to read a novel. I can understand this statement because the stories are quite compact, really a very delightful trait, and do require some attention to the details to fully enter into the narrative. I deeply admire the choices of names and places that immediately made me believe the setting of the stories. The use of timelines is excellently manipulated yet graceful. The stories are of love; of simply watching someone out of love do something inane and not interfering because interference would cause love to be lost, the chase after the ever unreal true love by the hopeless romantic and fool, trying to keep love safe and knowing that it is an impossible task, belonging to love yet love is itself no finite trap, loving the stranger who shares your bed, wondering if you passed on love or if love might have glanced your way, what to do when a friend won't accept your fantasy of your own love life, trying to convince yourself that your love is better than the love others have, sacrificing love to keep love, realizing that someone else may have a better concept of love, the sting and despair of love's wrath and the pride it harbors. My first taste of Alice Munro's short stories and, of course, I cannot be but impressed....more

Very subjective reactions here. This book gave me a new appreciation for Munro. I'm now going to go and reread all the books of hers I've already finished, and get through the ones I haven't read yet. Wonderful stories! I love the glancing incidental bits and how they contribute to the overall structure of each story, or of the collection as a whole. They're so gracefully constructed that I'd have to sit around much longer to ponder the construction in order to explain just what I like about theVery subjective reactions here. This book gave me a new appreciation for Munro. I'm now going to go and reread all the books of hers I've already finished, and get through the ones I haven't read yet. Wonderful stories! I love the glancing incidental bits and how they contribute to the overall structure of each story, or of the collection as a whole. They're so gracefully constructed that I'd have to sit around much longer to ponder the construction in order to explain just what I like about them, which I'm not going to do, because I want more time for reading more. I think I've had this conversation with Rebecca, but in the past I've often read Munro's stories, thought they were great, and then couldn't remember any of them two weeks later. I think I've started to make a breakthrough, memory-wise, which will make rereading her other stories a productive exercise, rather than just a repetition of the same forgetful thing. I definitely had a feeling of learning how to read her, which I didn't have before, and which I think bodes well for all my future forays into fiction....more

Alice Munro is stellar. I read these stories selfishly. I read them as what it means to be a woman passing through from childhood, to motherhood, to the stages beyond. When I talk with my friends about Munro, many have said that her stories are marked by instances of the bizarre, almost invoking Raymond Carver or Flannery O'Connor. But for me those moments of the terrible is not what precipitated from the story,instead what crystalized for me was the passages from one part of lives to the next.Alice Munro is stellar. I read these stories selfishly. I read them as what it means to be a woman passing through from childhood, to motherhood, to the stages beyond. When I talk with my friends about Munro, many have said that her stories are marked by instances of the bizarre, almost invoking Raymond Carver or Flannery O'Connor. But for me those moments of the terrible is not what precipitated from the story,instead what crystalized for me was the passages from one part of lives to the next. How often did former spouses meet again, or were childhoods remembered, or parents were cared for? In a very short space, lifetimes were laid out. One of the stories, Miles City, a terrible thing did not happen, even though everyone in the story, for a moment thought it did and the transformation occured because nothing happened. What mastery. ...more

I guess Alice Munro is a good writer. I'll probably read something else by her but in a more distant future.I struggled with this book. Everything seemed to be right, yet every time I was picking it up, I was wincing. I was wading through it, I was procrastinating, I was looking for excuses to drop it. I wanted it to end.I found it depressive although I have read far sadder books but their tone of sadness was understandable whereas this one was not. It was not that kind of suffering that leads tI guess Alice Munro is a good writer. I'll probably read something else by her but in a more distant future.I struggled with this book. Everything seemed to be right, yet every time I was picking it up, I was wincing. I was wading through it, I was procrastinating, I was looking for excuses to drop it. I wanted it to end.I found it depressive although I have read far sadder books but their tone of sadness was understandable whereas this one was not. It was not that kind of suffering that leads to the tragic end after which you bounce back (or not). It was more like unconstructive wallowing. I am glad I don't have to open this book again....more

I don't know how she does it. But she does, time after time. Alice Munro is so damn good at making up these beautiful understated worlds. When you look under the surface, nothing about them is ordinary at all. Hundreds of beautiful stories in her arsenal, and she's still going. She's my hero, pretty much.

But enough of that. I love this collection above many of her collections because there's something subtle linking these stories. They're mostly about middle-aged women, whose plans have been shaI don't know how she does it. But she does, time after time. Alice Munro is so damn good at making up these beautiful understated worlds. When you look under the surface, nothing about them is ordinary at all. Hundreds of beautiful stories in her arsenal, and she's still going. She's my hero, pretty much.

But enough of that. I love this collection above many of her collections because there's something subtle linking these stories. They're mostly about middle-aged women, whose plans have been shaken in one way or the other. It's interesting how they shift their lives to accomodate that. (Or don't shift as they should.) Love this book....more

The Progress of love Aunt Beryl, mother burns moneyLichen Stella happy divorcee in North WestMonsieur les Deux Chapeaux brothers Colin and Ross(not so bright)Miles City, Montana Rest stop kid goes in deep end of pool but swims so okFits Peg finds dead neighbors (why dead) cool calm others all freak (it was worse than she tells husband - yucky)The Moon in the Orange Street Skating Rink Sam and Edgar school, Callie at boarding house Callie do anything well on a betJesse and Meribeth best friendEskimo Mary Jo works/affair with doctor, makes up scenario on plane about a front toothless woman and manA Queer Streak Farm people, mother likes outside work, Violet goes to school, sister threatens family, Violets minister leaves her. Nephew Dane. Violet burns her stuff after grand niece as about the family and want to do a play.Circle of Prayer Trudy left by husband (he dumped girl friend for Trudy) Robin daughter necklace in girls coffin. Friend has prayer circle. Kelvin (brain problem) nice guy. White Dump Isabel used to go eat the when they dumped candy.Alice Munro is such a fine writer that she can take somefifty-odd characters over the course of a story collection andmake them seem like various aspects of a complex andsensitive personality. These stories are careful and elegant,and writers will note Munro's idiosyncratically beautiful useof unexpected adjectives. But even without such wonderfulwriting, her stories would speak for themselves: her characterslive life directly, simply, and often painfully, and they havemore feeling than they can express. Munro does it for them. This collection includes"The Moon in the Orange Street Skating Rink," one of themost moving stories I can imagine. Read it and weep.Comment | Was this review helpful to you?14 of 14 people found the following review helpful4.0 out of 5 stars Very solid introduction August 31, 2001By Philip HuangFormat:PaperbackMid-period Munro, when she began in earnest to explore a talent for expansiveness. The title story is as fine as anything she's written. The final pages reap deliciously what the story's juxtaposed timelines and plots have set up. You walk away from the story shaking your head, sighing, aching. Not as fine a collection as The Moons of Jupiter, also out of the same period in her career, but still hard to beat by another writer in the medium. It seems short stories have waited for Munro for too long, and we are too privileged to be readers in her lifetime.Comment | Was this review helpful to you?18 of 21 people found the following review helpful5.0 out of 5 stars Genius May 16, 2001By Mike VachowFormat:PaperbackAlice Munro is, by my reckoning, the greatest short story writer of our time. Her collection, The Progress of Love, is ample proof. I recommend her work with trepidation to aspiring short story writers because her writing is intimidatingly exquisite. Charles Baxter or Lorrie Moore could profit from a session in the batting cage with Munro, but for most everybody else, it would be like taking your Tee-Ball Leaguer for a hitting tutorial with Ted Williams.What's so good about Munro's writing? Foremost is her precision. The center of the short story writer's craft is economy. It's very difficult to find a word that doesn't advance both story and theme in Munro's work. The reader finds himself stopping to ponder passages not because they're opaque but because they are so powerfully rendered and so intricately woven. I've taught "Monsieur Les Deux Chapeaux" for seven years, and Ross's moment on the bridge never fails to transport me and my students. I don't expect to find an end to my thought about this moment or the story itself. It will unquestionably remain a short story by which I measure all others.Comment | Was this review helpful to you?2 of 2 people found the following review helpful3.0 out of 5 stars Haunting September 24, 2009By Richard PittmanFormat:PaperbackThis was my first Alice Munro collection and I will read more. I liked the collection but perhaps Alice hasn't spun her magic on me quite like she has on others. In this collection she writes about very typical lives and slightly atypical events. Most of the stories don't really have a beginning and an end but are rather slices of lives. Munro gives strong insight into people's inner lives and thoughts.

Each story is well crafted and Munro's style is very straight forward. Most stories take place in rural Ontario with a little bit of Toronto thrown in.

I titled the review "haunting" because I came away feeling that I'd been spying on the inner thoughts of others in a portion of their every day lives.

I was particularly touched by Monsieur Les Deux Chapeaux which told the the stories of twin brothers. One is a typical man and the other is somewhat mentally challenged. Their relationship is both interesting and touching.

There are other great stories as well. I honestly needed to take a break from the book at one point and return to it after a couple of days.

Munro is an excellent writer but in totality I'm not sure if she's my cup of tea. I'll need to read more.3 Comments | Was this review helpful to you?3 of 4 people found the following review helpful5.0 out of 5 stars A thesaurus exhausted of superlatives... April 20, 2012By John P. Jones III TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICEFormat:PaperbackTo date, I've read five of Munro's collections of short stories, and have reviewed four of them, including this one. The others that are reviewed are: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories, The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose and Too Much Happiness: Stories. Each I've given my own "extra" rating of "six stars." Of the more than 600 reviews currently posted, I've reached for the extra dimensional star only 25 times. And now it will be four times for Munro; the only author for me to go "extra dimensional" more than once. Obviously, I am...er...ah...deeply infatuated.

Regrettably, my review cannot hope to do her justice. For me, it is the edgy intensity of her insights into the daily lives of facially very unremarkable people. Her stories twist and turn; predicting the outcome is a fool's game. There is deep clarity in the meaning of her prose, which, of course, can describe some of the complex ambiguities of the human condition. Many of her stories span a lifetime and she can pinpoint how a childhood incident affects the character when later, they are in the nursing home.

Imagine life with a given name of "Euphemia"? She is the central character in the short story that lends its title to the collection. Her mother, Marietta tried to kill herself. Marietta's sister Beryl visits, with Mr. Florence in tow.

Completely subjective rating. The second half of this collection, after the excellent "Jesse and Meribeth," failed to resonate with me. I will never be one to argue with Alice Munro's mastery of the short story, but occasionally I get bored of somber elegance. This was just one of those times.

My favorite story in the collection is probably "Lichen" (and the most interestingly bizarre thing in the collection is the reason that particular story is named as it is).

To call these short stories is to miss the point. These stories require the reader to concentrate, to pay attention to the who's and what's and to be patient. The stories are often confusing - entering in the middle - and take a bit to decipher, but if you're patient, you'll be rewarded.

I love Alice Munro. This many not be my favorite collection, but if it was the first I'd ever read of hers, I'd come away knowing this: I love Alice Munro.

This collection made it apparent to me why Alice Munro is one of the most acclaimed short story writers out there. Every story had a clear arc and reverberating themes. Standouts were the title story, "The Moon in the Orange Street Skating Rink" and "White Dump."

I read this and, within the week, went to the bookstore to buy six more of Munro's works. The Progress of Love is my first, my favourite; I can't give it the criticism it probably deserves. But here are my observations about Munro that have held true since this auspicious start:

1) The mark of a great author is her or his ability to build their world around you, without your having noticed. This is particularly remarkable in a short story--which, of course, The Progress of Love is entirely composI read this and, within the week, went to the bookstore to buy six more of Munro's works. The Progress of Love is my first, my favourite; I can't give it the criticism it probably deserves. But here are my observations about Munro that have held true since this auspicious start:

1) The mark of a great author is her or his ability to build their world around you, without your having noticed. This is particularly remarkable in a short story--which, of course, The Progress of Love is entirely composed of. Not once have I had to coerce my imagination into following along.

2) To write ordinary lives without introducing a disproportionately dramatic event OR resorting to cynicism is an extraordinary talent. Munro's stories are filled with things that happen without needing a reason; things that redirect the course of people's experiences; and things that, ultimately, are left behind as people continue living. I never could have predicted how satisfying this model would feel.

An upscale steakhouse chain, like Morton's or Capital Grille, will consistently serve you a perfectly cooked steak. That's why you shell out the money to go to a place like that, after all. And consistently cooking a steak perfectly is no mean feat- there are many places, even more expensive and ostensibly better restaurants, that fail to do that. At the end of the day, though, even when it's perfectly cooked, what you're getting is a by-the-numbers steak dinner, that doesn't take any risks or tAn upscale steakhouse chain, like Morton's or Capital Grille, will consistently serve you a perfectly cooked steak. That's why you shell out the money to go to a place like that, after all. And consistently cooking a steak perfectly is no mean feat- there are many places, even more expensive and ostensibly better restaurants, that fail to do that. At the end of the day, though, even when it's perfectly cooked, what you're getting is a by-the-numbers steak dinner, that doesn't take any risks or try to innovate. Alice Munro is the upscale chain steakhouse of literature: she writes stories that always have the same feel and often have the same subject matter, and she writes all of them exceedingly well. At the end of the day, though, she's serving you the same fare again and again, and no individual story is likely to stand out. If small town personal drama is something that appeals to you, Munro has enough of that to keep you satiated for months, if not years, but never expect her to surprise you.

The first half of this collection made me think that Munro wrote the same story over and over. All the stories featured a small-town Canadian, usually a slightly-past-middle-aged woman, experiences something that sparks a memory of personal hardships in her past. That memory becomes the conduit for the actual content of the story, the narrative only returning to the present (where nothing happens) at the end of the short tale. The second half featured stories that broke this formula, but that still always centered on small-town Canada dealing with low-key personal drama. Elements like a white haired woman and a man working as a mechanic recur, the same tone is present in every story, and the narrative voice is exactly the same despite the narrators ostensibly having different lives. Thus the second half of this collection revealed that while Munro's stories aren't always formulaic in terms of content, they still always (at least in this collection) feel the same. Writing this review only a week or so after finishing the collection, the individual stories have already begun to blend together in my mind.

I get why people like Munro, she writes well (although I didn't find many passages particularly striking) and she writes with consistency. If you like her shtick then I can see her being an author you revisit on a regular basis, because you know what you're going to get and you know you're going to like it. At the end of the day, though, I can't help but find her boring. No matter what hardship her characters are dealing with- slow brother, cheating spouse, disliked father, otherwise unideal childhood- the stories all read the same, and none of the narrative voices are distinguishable. I can't imagine reading through fifteen collections worth of this same basic story being rehashed, I don't think my brain could handle that much sameness. I don't love Flannery O'Connor, but her stories have variety, and they aren't all passive. I found myself hungering for a Flannery O'Connor story in the midst of reading Munro. If you like Alice Munro that's perfectly fine, I can understand that, I just don't happen to find the particular subject matter Munro always focuses on to be particularly compelling. If Alice Munro is your absolute favorite author, though, then I'd really encourage you to take more risks when you select what books you read going forward- there's more to eat out there than steak....more

Proof of my ignorance: after the Nobels were announced, I purchased this ebook to have lying around on my tablet, for those moments when I have a bit of time to kill but not enough to dig into a novel. I read the first story ("The Progress of Love") in one sitting and loved it, but for several months afterward, the collection sort of languished on my e-bookshelf. Turns out that this is NOT a collection of short stories that works well to read in fits and starts, at least not for me (I'm a slow rProof of my ignorance: after the Nobels were announced, I purchased this ebook to have lying around on my tablet, for those moments when I have a bit of time to kill but not enough to dig into a novel. I read the first story ("The Progress of Love") in one sitting and loved it, but for several months afterward, the collection sort of languished on my e-bookshelf. Turns out that this is NOT a collection of short stories that works well to read in fits and starts, at least not for me (I'm a slow reader, and also a forgetful one). My dissatisfaction with a number of the middle stories seemed to be not entirely the stories' fault, but it wasn't until I spent long stretches of evening time with the last several that I realized how little I'd understood of stories like "Lichen", "The Moon in the Orange Street Skating Rink" and "Jesse and Meribeth".

So: my initial impression of the stories I read *well* is very favorable. I love the way Munro presents the extraordinary in the mundane and the very ordinary. Her characters are simple on the surface, and complex and conflicted underneath. The situations they encounter are at once so plain and so monumental.

The stories I enjoyed most were "A Queer Streak" and "White Dump", mostly because I found the interplay of the changing points of view to be fascinating.

I'd read more Munro (and would probably reread this one, too) for sure, for her dense prose that manages to be lovely without being flowery, and for the way sentence-long reflections manage to say pages about her characters....more

Take the multigenerational ambition of Garcia Márquez, add Tostoy's keen understanding of death and human nature, sprinkle in Chekhov's exquisite particulars, pare it down to a few thousand perfectly-chosen words, and set it in small-town Canada, and you'll have an Alice Munro short story. This quietly impressive collection is as technically flawless as it is exquisitely characterized, and Munro allows ideas and questions to resonate across time and story space. It's an awesome thing to behold.Take the multigenerational ambition of Garcia Márquez, add Tostoy's keen understanding of death and human nature, sprinkle in Chekhov's exquisite particulars, pare it down to a few thousand perfectly-chosen words, and set it in small-town Canada, and you'll have an Alice Munro short story. This quietly impressive collection is as technically flawless as it is exquisitely characterized, and Munro allows ideas and questions to resonate across time and story space. It's an awesome thing to behold. Short, non-spoilery descriptions of each story follow, for all that they can't help but be extravagant understatements. The richly detailed histories and inner lives Munro gives her characters reward multiple readings. Highly recommended.

The Progress of Love: Her mother's death leads Fame to revisit stories of her mother, both from her own memories and the memories of others.

Lichen: David visits his ex-wife with his younger soon-to-be-ex-lover in tow in order to deliver a birthday present to his ex-father-in-law. One of my favorites of the collection.

excerpt - "As for me, I was happy because of the shedding. I loved taking off. In my own house, I seemed to be often looking for a place to hide - sometimes from the chidren but more often from the jobs to be done and the phone ringing and the sociability of the neighborhood. I wanted to hide so that I could get busy at my real work, which was a sort of wooing of distant parts of myself. I lived in a state of siege always losing just what I wanted to hold on to. But on trips there was difficultyexcerpt - "As for me, I was happy because of the shedding. I loved taking off. In my own house, I seemed to be often looking for a place to hide - sometimes from the chidren but more often from the jobs to be done and the phone ringing and the sociability of the neighborhood. I wanted to hide so that I could get busy at my real work, which was a sort of wooing of distant parts of myself. I lived in a state of siege always losing just what I wanted to hold on to. But on trips there was difficulty. I could be talking to Andrew, talking to the children and looking at whatever they wanted me to look at - a pig on a sign, a pony in a field, a Volkswagen on a revolving stand - and pouring lemonade into plastic cups, and all the time the time those bits and pieces would be flying together inside me. The essential composition would be achieved. This made me hopeful and lighthearted. It was being a watcher that did it. A watcher, not a keeper."

Ends with this quote from "The Poetic Edda" 'Seinat er at segia; svá er nu rádit' (It is too late to talk of this now: it has all been decided).Precise intense stories on how to try to escape fate (but most often fail). All taking place in various part of Ontario from the countryside near Ottawa to the shore of Lake Huron, from the first decades of the twentieth century to more recent times when a same sex couple is evoked (A Queer Streak). If you still have the illusion that eternal love existsEnds with this quote from "The Poetic Edda" 'Seinat er at segia; svá er nu rádit' (It is too late to talk of this now: it has all been decided).Precise intense stories on how to try to escape fate (but most often fail). All taking place in various part of Ontario from the countryside near Ottawa to the shore of Lake Huron, from the first decades of the twentieth century to more recent times when a same sex couple is evoked (A Queer Streak). If you still have the illusion that eternal love exists, this book will squash it. But will remind you of the rapture associated with the very first moments of seduction......more

I am not a lover of short stories. Read this book for my classics group. Have to admire how each story feels fresh and new but I always feel like I am missing something when I read Alice Munro's stories.The two stories I really enjoyed were "A Queer Streak" and "White Dump". I am sure I will read more of her books though just to see if short stories grow on me.

I read this because my ex-lover loved her so much and rading it was a way to stay close to her. Now I understand that I have to thank my ex-lover for allowing me to know an amazing writer that I want to know more and more.

Nice collection of short stories, rather early work by Munro. Of course not everything was of the same level, but Munro is a master in the description of human emotions, especially with people that experience changes in their live.

Alice Ann Munro, née Laidlaw, is a Canadian short-story writer who is widely considered one of the world's premier fiction writers. Munro is a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction. Her stories focus on human relationships looked at through the lens of daily life. She has thus been referred to as "the Canadian Chekhov."

She is the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in LiterAlice Ann Munro, née Laidlaw, is a Canadian short-story writer who is widely considered one of the world's premier fiction writers. Munro is a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction. Her stories focus on human relationships looked at through the lens of daily life. She has thus been referred to as "the Canadian Chekhov."

“This is the way you look at the poorest details of the world resurfaced, after you've been driving for a long time -- you feel their singleness and precise location and the forlorn coincidence of you being there to see them.”
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“He seemed happy. She thought that she seldom concerned herself about Laurence’s being happy. She wanted him to be in a good mood, so that everything would go smoothly, but that was not the same thing.”
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